NASA is preparing to launch three sounding rockets as part of its Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment Plus, or TOMEX+, with a launch window opening at 10 p.m. on Aug. 25 from the Wallops Flight Facility.

The mission, which runs through 3 a.m. on Aug. 26, will investigate turbulence in the mesopause, one of Earth’s most dynamic atmospheric regions located about 50 miles above the surface. Scientists hope the data will improve understanding of how oxygen mixes in this part of the upper atmosphere.

TOMEX+ builds on the design of the original TOMEX rocket launched in 2000. According to NASA , this time, three rockets will be used instead of one, including one equipped with a lidar (light detection and ranging) instrument previously deployed only on the ground.

The first two rockets, launch

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